The air outside smells so good. The trees are greening up, daffodils are bobbing in the breeze, and we can hear a woodpecker hammering away. The temperature is a perfect 73 degrees. But today I closed up all the windows, turned on the air conditioner, and dragged the vacuum cleaner upstairs, because my poor kid suffers from allergies to tree pollen.
This week his eyes have been red and watery, he’s had long stretches of serial sneezing, and last night, just after midnight, he had his first big nosebleed of the season. Our pediatrician recommended Claritin (we buy the generic loratadine), which definitely helps manage his symptoms. We have also started giving him a dose of Benadryl at bedtime to manage the watery eyes and sneezing, which often triggers his nosebleeds. (The drowsiness side effect is just a bonus.) I am grateful that he doesn’t have asthma or any other condition that can be exacerbated by allergies, but the symptoms he does have can be miserable, distracting him at school and disturbing his nighttime sleep. I can’t put him in a plastic bubble. He has to go to school and I’m not going to discourage his active playtime outdoors. But here are a few ways we help him stay comfortable at home during the spring allergy season.
6 ways to alleviate pollen allergy symptoms:
- Close the windows. I hate to do it, but if the pollen isn’t blowing in, he isn’t breathing it.
- Especially in the bedroom, vacuum (with a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter, if possible), dust with a damp cloth, and wash all the bedding in hot water.
- Change the furnace filter regularly.
- Have your child wear a hat outside and change clothes after playing outdoors for any length of time.
- Encourage kids to shower before bed. It rinses off the pollen (especially in their hair) that they’ve accumulated while playing outside, and the steam helps clear the nasal passages.
- To keep nasal passages moist and prevent nosebleeds, use a saline mist or ointment in the nose morning and night.
Now, if anyone can suggest six ways to convince a nine-year-old boy that taking a shower every day is a good idea, I’m all ears.
Home Baked 
It washes off all the girl cooties from school and sisters?! I might have to try this one my nine year old this summer!
Funny – I *just* posted about the pollen making my head feel like lead. I don’t get too bad, though. Mostly just a headache or two. Your poor boy 😦 Have you heard about the benefits of local honey? I think it’s supposed to be honey sourced from less than 30 miles from your home. I’m sure googling something along the lines of “local honey pollen allergies” would turn up info.
Your recipes look soooooooooo good. I’m low-carb right now… next to no sugar. Not fun. I even made cupcakes for the kids today and only had one bite. Yeesh. *But* I will definitely be keeping a few of these in mind for later.
Have a great day!
I have read about local honey, but I’d forgotten all about it. I’ll have to look into it. Another nosebleed last night at karate, and two more today. At least he didn’t argue about showering this afternoon–he was covered in so much blood and mud (from a water balloon fight in this crazy hot weather) and sunscreen when he came in for dinner!